Where are all the female chefs?

Women do most of the cooking everywhere except when you go out to dinner. In homes around the world women still do the majority of cooking, and yet in top restaurants everywhere the vast majority of acclaimed chefs are men. Where are all the celebrated female chefs?

Yet despite the pull between her personal and professional life, Roš, owner and chef of Hiša Franko (#69, World's 50 Best Restaurants, 2017) was adamant in her speech that current perceptions of sexism in the professional cheffing world are misplaced, and that today, more than ever, women have a strong place in professional kitchens.

"There is a very wrong message that a lot of media and people think that male chefs are not accepting of female chefs, and it's wrong. I think they do accept us, especially when we show we can cook, and I am really truly grateful for that."

The glaring imbalance of women leading high-end kitchens in the hospitality industry the world over is clearly something that we want to talk about. So, where do all the female chefs go and what is it that keeps them out of award winning kitchens? The category of Best Female Chef in the World's Best 50 awards is evidence all on its own that the balance is hopelessly off.

Having mulled the issue over at 9Kitchen, we thought it was time to ask the guys, and so reached out to a large number of professionals in the industry, only to be met with foot shuffling silence. Responses to the fraught and burning question were thin on the ground. But happily, some brave few male chefs did buy into the discussion and here's what they had to say.

Celebrated Australian chef, Peter Gilmore of Quay and Bennelong, shared the stage with Crenn at the #50BestTalks in Sydney, and was happy to offer his insight on the topic, agreeing that there is an undeniable lack of female chefs in high-end professional kitchens.

"I think that in general, a head chef role usually doesn’t happen until you are in your mid-30s," Gilmore tells 9Kitchen. "At the top level of our industry, these hours are very difficult and anti-social, with most top restaurants having to open evening services. In my opinion, a lot of women tend to leave the industry around this time to have a family. Getting back to work after this at night is difficult for childcare purposes."

Chef Peter Gilmore of Quay and Bennelong

For Gilmore, it is a matter of logistics that keeps women away from kitchens once a family takes priority, pointing out that this is about personal choice, not a reflection of skill or a willful oversight on behalf of the employing kitchens.

"Of course it is up to every couple to sort out their priorities and I don’t think there is a right or wrong to who does the majority of the parenting role, that is up to each couple to decide." But he does point out that the hours of work are outside of the norm, requiring at least one parent to take on the carer role.

It's an observation that Monty Koludrovic (of the iconic Icebergs Dining Room and Bar and The Dolphin Hotel) agrees with — and also has first-hand experience in, as his wife Jaci works alongside him as an integral part of the team.

First and foremost, Koludrovic asserts that traditionally the long hours and typically unskilled and physical work of a professional kitchen has attracted men.

"This is where modern kitchens have come from. It's up to us all to pave the new way we want to see kitchens develop. Women are as hard working as men — if not more so — so there is no reason why women can't obtain any role they want." But he agrees that the question of raising a family still mostly places women firmly in the role of carer, which is incompatible with hospitality hours.

"There is also a traditional parenting model which sees women assume the majority of care for kids. This is across all industries. The nature of kitchens' peak times, like meal times, makes them less flexible and appealing to the main caregivers. With us, Jaci would still be majority care taker of the kids, however I use it as a really good tool to make sure I contribute meaningfully to my kids' upbringing. Sometimes I need Jaci to be at work and therefore I simply must be at home with the kids. It has been a game changer for how I work and how I manage my time."

A key part of Roš' award acceptance speech was to thank her children, who she says have grown up actually in the kitchen at Hiša Franko, demonstrating that in order for Roš to have access to her career there needed to be a place there for her children — not a set-up that a lot of women have access to. So perhaps lack of women in professional kitchens is less about the work and the prevailing kitchen attitudes themselves and more about the social structures that surround this kind of work.

Ana Roš of Hiša Franko, World's Best Female Chef 2017

We put this suggestion to acclaimed chef Danielle Alvarez of Sydney's Fred's, and she agrees that it's more a social issue outside of the kitchens, rather than blatant sexism.

"I think [the lack of female chefs] definitely has nothing to do with women having any less ability or physicality for the job. And it is true that if a woman chooses to have a family it is usually around that time when it's your make or break years as a chef and pushing your career forward," she tells 9Kitchen. "Kitchen hours are quite challenging and we don't really as an industry do a good job of making certain allowances for women to raise their family and still work." But she's quick to point out that she has seen models that challenge this, noting her time at Chez Panisse in California where hours were adjusted and breastfeeding of young children was accommodated — a heartening example of the first signs of change, supported by top female chef Alice Waters.

Chef Danielle Alvarez of Fred's

Perhaps, if society shifted the perception of childcare as a woman's responsibility, then more women would have the support they need to excel in jobs that have 'anti-social' hours.

Certainly every chef we spoke to agreed that having a better balance of male to female chefs in the kitchen benefited their teams in endless ways — from an increased variety of skills, to the way staff interacted with one another.

And all the chefs 9Kitchen spoke to were clear that sexism in professional kitchens is outdated and that this is not what is tipping the gender balance.

"My restaurant's success has been on the back of good communication," says Ibrahim Kasif of Sydney's popular Stanbuli restaurant, where some of his key chefs are women. "It has to be a safe and happy workplace. Zero tolerance for bad attitude and disrespect, regardless of gender. A workplace where everyone is equal," he says.

Koludrovic echos the sentiment.

"We find the best results culturally are when we have a good split of male and female chefs and workers. Disrespect is not tolerated in our kitchens and is up to us all to make sure we are committed to building kitchens we can be proud of."

And Gilmore agrees too.

"I found that a mix of females and males in the kitchen is a much better work environment. There is a more equal balance in kitchen. I'd love to see more women staying in the industry to reach their full potential."

Given that the overwhelming response seems to be that professional kitchens benefit from having a more equal gender balance, maybe the real question is not why are there so few women in professional kitchens, but how can we support more of these talented individuals to stay in — or return to — an industry that typically does not support the raising of a family?

As Crenn rightly said, we need to change the conversation, and look beyond the imbalance to how we can fix it.